The past always comes back
by RJLCyberPunk
Summary: The story takes us to Erik's misterious past and his motives and to him joining Agent Ward in order to fullfil his ambitions, powerful forces are set in motion as a result.
1. Chapter 1

**The past always comes back: A Mako mermaids/Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D crossover.**

The outcast by his kind Erik Langstrom partners with outcast former Agent Ward to try to place the Merpeople back in power ruling over the world as they and the inhumans did ages ago even if it means destroying both hidden cities of Atlantis and Astlan.

Prologe: 5 years ago The UK: Scotland.

The mermen council sat down in their chairs in an undisclosed location near the coastal cliffs under the full moon along with an inhuman representative. The leader of the Mermen Tobias Denton spoke "Erik Langstrom you have been found guilty of violating our code and risk exposure, young man you very well know both our people only survive thanks to our anonymity, what do you have to say for yourself before we forever bind your powers?"

Erik with his hands bound sneered at them "You are nothing but pathetic old men! We used to rule this world! And now what do we do, we hide like roaches when we are gods among insects and we should reclaim our position as such"

"And how many Merpeople and Inhumans alike must die to reclaim that title? And how long would it last anyway? One thing we learned from that time is Empires come at too great a cost!" Tobias replied. "Take him away"

"Not to me it isn't" Erik said using his powers to push his guards away and ran toward the cliff

"Stop him!" Tobias yelled but to no use. Erik had jumped off the cliff into the ocean below.

The Inhuman representative complained "As long as he is out there he is a threat and could expose us all"

"Not without endangering himself in the process, he is now an outcast and all alone".

With that the secret proceedings came to an abrupt end...


	2. Chapter 2

**A deal is struck**

6 months after the events at the merman chamber in Mako island.

San Francisco, the docks at a warehouse.

Ward was still after all this mulling over the death of agent 33 unwittingly by his own hand. He remembered how he shot who he thought was his nemesis Melinda May only to have his love interest die in his arms instead. Ever since then he had been assembling his own team made mostly of former Hydra operatives but Ward knew that to defeat his enemies and bring about the "closure" he desired he needed an advantage so he was also looking for gifted individuals.

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted when a guard barged in with a young man he had obviously detained. "Look who I found snooping around boss" the guard said keeping his gun aimed at the young man's head.

"I was not snooping" I heard you are recruiting gifted individuals and I want in" Erik said in protest.

"Yes I'm but if your gift is getting caught I have no use for you kid. Travis smoke him and do it clean I don't want a mess like last time" Ward replied dismissively. Erik used his telekinesis to push the guard several feet away. Ward went for his gun which he had to drop as it became scalding hot

"You are an inhuman" Ward said in surprise. "Try Merman" Erik replied. "A what?" Ward said in disbelief. "Honestly you humans know so little, Inhumans are not the only gifted people inhabiting this planet and if you only knew of the vast empires that lie on the stars it would probably be too much for your minds to cope with. And if wanted to kill you Ward I would have done it already as I said I came for the job application" Erik explained.

"That's good to know so you are half man, half fish like in the legends" Ward said "I already explained, yes, so am I in?" Erik replied. Ward surreptitiously pressed a remote control and the sprinkler system activated. Erik dropped helplessly to the floor as he transformed. The sprinklers shut down as Ward with a smirk on his face and his gun back in his hand approached Erik "Well what do you know! You are a fish!" He said "I'm more valuable to you alive than dead, you need gifted people like me" Erik said now with obvious fear in his voice as he no longer was in control of the situation.

"Indeed I do, I have no intention of killing you I do need a man of your talents I'm just making a point of who runs this operation and it's me and no one else so the job is yours kid but understand this! If you ever cross me I'll turn you to Sushi. Are we clear?"

Erik nodded "Good now dry yourself up" Ward said tossing a towel at Erik.


	3. Chapter 3

**Things are never as they seem**

Gold Coast Australia at David's boardwalk café.

Mimie and Evie were ecstatic over their impending travel in 2 months to New York city, Zac was not happy at all with her girlfriend going so far away for 3 weeks however.

"Common Evie" what's on New York that you cannot find at home?" Zac asked.

"What's to find? Don't you mean what's not to find? The city that never sleeps, homebase of the mighty Avengers and Stark Industries? Besides you could always come with me." Evie replied

"No thanks I hate New York or any city that large clogged with smog" Zac replied Evie looked at him "You never had a problem with the smog here so what's really the problem that you cannot go to New York with me?"

"I don't like the weather and too many buildings and they even have a ban on large soda drinks" Zac said "Then buy 2, is still no reason to not come with me, what's the real reason" Evie asked insistently finally Zac caved in "Fine I don't like for you to go to work for a playboy billionaire like Stark"

Evie got irritated at his response "First of all we won't be working for him but for The New York Marine Biology center and second of all he is old enough to be my father!" "His reputation precedes him Evie and he happens to be the one funding the biology center and in case you forgot he almost single-handedly destroyed the world a few months back" Zac snapped back.

"You are one to talk your curiosity ended up helping Eric to almost kill all mermaids or have you forgotten?" Evie said "That's not fair I almost died saving them" Zac said in surprise at Evie's retort. "Indeed you did, Stark made a mistake and so did you and I have no interest in him whatsoever Zac Blakely that you even think that I would really hurts" Evie said walking away "You are my brother and I love you but you are a lumphead" Mimi said following Evie.

"That went well, what's up with you? This is too uptight even for you!" Cam said. "I just don't like it, I mean we reunited the pod and saved the island I thought that's what my sister wanted but instead she and my girlfriend want to travel halfway around the world to New York" Zac replied annoyed. "Well they got the scholarships remember plus Mimi's boyfriend is in New York in case you forgot" Cam said.

"Common Cam with that weird flesh eating virus turning people to stone is just not safe and I don't buy the bullshit that it is a virus, there is no virus that can turn people slowly to stone" Zac said "Yup that's one scary bug or whatever it is, they thought they had it under control after they recalled all those codfish pills but cases keep appearing all related to seafood yet you merpeople seem to be immune to it so that's not the reason and since Rita and Mimi came up with that waterproof spray there is no risk of accidentally growing a tail while on land so my friend all that is making you risk losing your girlfriend is your ego." Cam said.

"Would you 2 stop talking about that flesh to stone eating virus I'm creeped out by it all as it is" Carly said "Sure thing!" Cam said "Thanks" she replied back as she kissed him and picked a metal tray from the adjacent table as she did she saw her arm begin to turn to metal. Terrified she managed to yelp "Guys!" at first both Zac and Cam did not hear her but as she raised her voice repeating the word "guys" in an ever louder tone they turned to see her body completely turned to metal yet still moving though her footsteps grew louder and heavier.

"Holy sh…" Cam managed to say "What the..." was what came out of Zac's mouth "What's happening to me" Carly asked as she walked around looking at her metallic body. "Did someone brought moonpool liquid again" Cam asked "Not to my knowledge and this is like no mermaid or mermen power I've ever heard or seen" Zac replied looking in disbelief as he called Evie and Mimi back "Not now Zac I'm angry with you" Evie replied "What's happening between us will have to wait, Carly is in trouble big magic, supernatural kind of trouble" Zac said.

"No way nobody has brought moonpool liquid!" Mimi said "I'm not even sure if that's the cause" Zac said as the 3 walked inside and both girls stood agape at Carly whose body had turned inexplicably to metal "I think we should close the shop" Mimi said "Good idea" replied Evie as she hurried to close the doors just as some patrons walked by "sorry we are closed for today come back tomorrow" she told them as they heard Carly's heavy footsteps they asked "Oh you are remodeling the shop!" one of them said.

"Yes that's right we are remodeling" Evie said "And all the remodeling is going to be done in one day?" the 2nd patron asked "That's the beauty of prefabricated materials, thanks bye!" she said as she closed the doors behind her sighing in nervous relief "What now?" Cam asked in desperation. "We call Rita" Evie replied.


	4. Chapter 4

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Sheraton Barra hotel

Daisy (skye) Johnson was with her new boyfriend Lincoln on a vacation prescribed by Coulson himself so she could take her mind away from the troubles of the world for at least a while but it was impossible for her to shake off her feeling of guilt no matter how unwarranted. She remembered vividly when her mother and psychotic former leader of the inhumans living at the refuge in the Himalayas tried to kill her and how she had no choice but to knock off the quinjet into the ocean to stop it from carrying the terrigen crystals destined to kill tens of thousands if not more of people whose sin was not to carry the inhuman gene an artificially implanted gene by the Kree empire ages ago.

Little she knew that in doing so the crystals dissolved releasing the terrigen mist into the ocean's food chain. And months latter people began showing symptoms of slowly and painfully turning to stone. Her mother had the last laugh after all. She found herself in a shopping center surrounded by people turned to stone the agony etched forever in their faces as she heard her mother's voice "Well done my dear and to think that I thought of you as a disappointment to be rid off yet you have performed beyond my wildest expectation, placing the terrigen mist in the food chain is something I would have never come up and yet you did" Jianying said

"What I did, I did to stop you and you are dead!" Daisy said in annoyed defiance. "Oh no my dear, I still live through you and no matter how much you deny it and try to convince yourself to the contrary you are just like me; a mass murderer!" Jianying replied. Skye screamed NOO at the top her lungs as she woke up from the nightmare in a cold sweat and discharging a pulse from her outreached hands which smash the sliding doors to the balcony. Lincoln woke up beside her as she knelt looking at the destruction she had unwittingly wrought.

"Ssh it's OK Daisy, it was just a nightmare" he said kissing her lovingly in the forehead. "Is not OK at all Lincoln I'm a mess and I'm losing it and people are dying and is all my fault" she said sobbing in a mixture of rage and despair. "No it is not your fault, it's your mother's you did all you could to stop it" Lincoln said.

"I think is best if we move to a safehouse" Daisy said once recovered looking at the damage as the hotel personnel frantically knocked at the door "Hey what the hell are you 2 up too in there, open up or we will call the police!" they yelled. "I think that would be a good idea!" Lincoln affirmed. "I'll call Coulson you go deal with the mob." Daisy said as she picked her cell and sped dialed S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters "What I'm I supposed to tell them?" Lincoln asked. "I don't know tell them we were celebrating our honeymoon with fireworks and they blew up." Daisy replied as she talked to Coulson over the phone appraising him of the situation.

"Oh yeah they are going to love that! We are going to spend 10 or 20 years in Brazilian prisons." Lincoln said as he went to open the door before it was knocked off its hinges by the hotel personnel outside. "No we won't S.H.I.E.L.D will fix this they need us for their Secret Warriors program, remember? Now git!" she said gesturing to him to finally open the door before they broke it down.

S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters secret base 10 minutes latter.

"It's OK Skye we'll take of everything you just get both your butts to the safehouse" Coulson said over the phone "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea this vacation when people are dying and you feel so powerless, so if something comes up I'll give you a call" he added.

"I'd appreciate that don't get me wrong Rio is beautiful and under different circumstances I would probably be having the time of my life with Lincoln around here, but all I feel is powerless even with all this powers I got" Skye said on the other side of the line back on Rio with that she turned off her cell phone.

"So let me get this straight she just blew half an apartment after having a nightmare and you want her in charge of the Secret Warriors Initiative?" Nick Fury asked plaintively "I trust Agent Daisy Skye Johnson implicitly and the damage was not that extensive she blew out the sliding doors." Coulson replied. "And what about Simmons now that that Kree gizmo turned her into the only weapon we might have against the inhumans if it all goes south?" Fury asked again.

"Agent Simmons is still in recovery from her ordeal once she fully recovers she will be back on the active roster and not a moment earlier and it won't go south and the inhumans as a whole are not our enemy" Coulson replied visibly annoyed by the question by his boss. "Maybe so Agent Coulson but fear is a powerful motivator. We won't be able to keep the cover story of the flesh eating virus turning people to stone for much longer as more people become inhumans thanks to those crystals getting into the food chain."

"I'm fully aware of the situation Fury and I stand by my decisions so unless you intend to replace me, let me get on with my job." Coulson said "Your job is safe as for the rest I'll hold you to them" Fury replied as he left Coulson's office..

At that moment Coulson got another call from Operations. "Sir we found Ward and just as we suspected he is not just recruiting former Hydra agents but gifted individuals as well he has springed out a few including David Angar, Francis Noche and Alisha the Inhuman girl that could replicate herself so far, we have not been able to locate his current whereabouts" they informed him "OK keep me informed it seems we will have to activate the Secret Warriors initiative sooner than expected." He replied then he looked plaintively at the map on his computer screen. "Where are you?" he mused to himself. Coulson knew that whatever Ward was planning was probably going to happen soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Australia Gold coast, Rita's house secret cove.**

Bubbles began to pour out of the sea entrance to the cove when Erik and four other individuals in scuba gear surfaced. After dumping the gear Ward and the others took a look around the place. "So this is a mermaid's secret hideout? Not much to look for kid" Ward said to Erik "My people abandoned the use of our own technology a long time ago specially after the war of the sexes that nearly brought our whole kind to the brink of extinction." Erik explained "Wow and I thought the war between the sexes among humans was bad, still if your people abandoned the use of technology what use is this then?" Ward asked getting impatient "Most of my kind did not all some remain to this day guarding our ancient city and kingdom which you know as Atlantis, if we get rid of the secrecy and expose our existence it will force them to act and we will regain our rightful place once again" Erik affirmed.

"Don't forget that it will also help my kind" alisha said. "Off course both inhumans and Merpeople will reap the benefits as we once again become the masters of this world" Erik replied. "I understand my angle and that of Erik and all the gifted you have recruited Ward but what is your angle on all of this what do you have to gain?" Alisha asked. "Me closure!, revenge the way I see it I got nothing left to loose so I want to unleash hell to consume the world and everybody who has wronged me along with it" Ward replied .

"You want the watch the world burn! Don't worry you'll get a front row seat!" Erik said "Well enough talk people get to your positions you know the drill" Ward ordered and everyone scattered hiding in strategic positions around the house while Erik, Angar and Ward stayed in the cove while Erik used his powers to make him and them invisible.

 **20 minutes earlier**

Rita received a frantic call at her high school office as she was about to call it a day, Evie sounded desperate "We need your help you gotta see this" and a picture of Carly's current appearance was transmitted into her cellphone Rita gasped in disbelief "Get to my house and to the cove immediately" Rita said "How are we supposed to do that with her looking like the bride of the tin men in the wizard of Oz?" Evie asked as Carly protested "Hey I heard that!"

"Just use your powers to make her invisible and levitate her off the ground until you reach my house" Rita said "That's a half mile away!" Evie replied "Fine until you get a truck just get to my house." Rita said. "Just get her to my jeep and we'll drive there." Cam said after Evie explained Rita's instructions. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mimi asked "She is my girlfriend, is my jeep that settles it!" Cam replied "OK as you said is your jeep." Mimi said

Mimi, Evie and Zac worked together with Evie and Mimi making Carly invisible while Zac levitated her off the ground with that they took her outside until they reached the jeep "Ok let her down gently so she can get into the jeep" Cam said. "I'm not sure this is wise Cam are you sure it will be able to hold her weight?" Zac asked. "It's a jeep, it will hold!" Cam replied "Whatever you say buddy!" Zac replied as he slowly dropped Carly until she was on the ground again next to the jeep still rendered invisible by Mimi and Evie.

"I don't think this is going to work Cam." Carly whispered fearful of being discovered. "It will get in I promise it will hold.." Cam replied Carly sat and sson as she did the seat broke under her weight. "That's OK I'll fix it latter, see it's holding, et's go" he said as he tried to start the jeep which began to strain under the weight then one after the other the wheels popped and finally the whole axel collapsed and the jeep fell as heap of junk to the street.

"Well that's that guess we walk!" Mimi said Cam got out of the wreck and looked at Zac "Not a word!" he said "I didn't say anything" Zac replied as he once again used his telekinesis to levitate Carly as all were to walk all the way to Rita's house at that moment a tow truck with the logo Stan's junkjard and salvage showed up driven by an old man with a bushy mustache he drove by looking at the junkpile that used to be Cam's jeep. :"Who owns that piece of junk" he asked.

Cam sighed "it's mine old man what do you want?" he asked "Today is your lucky day I will give you 120 for that piece of junk?" the old man said. "Get real old man!" Cam said "150 then!" the old man offered again "No sale old man that jeep was worth 3 summer jobs" Cam replied "200 and that's my final offer" the old man said "sold!" Cam replied as the old man paid him and took his former jeep away "it's going to be one of those days" Cam said as he started to walk. In the meantime Mimi called Sirena and appraised her of the situation.

 **Undisclosed movie theater in the Australian Gold coast**

"I see well I'll be there as soon as I can!" Sirena said as she hung up her cell phone. "What is it, I can tell the movie is off" David said "Sorry but Carly is in big trouble of the magic supernatural kind, I got to go" Sirena said. "I thought you guys were not messing with that stuff anymore." David said in surprise "We are not, to be honest we don't know what we are dealing with whatever Carly has turned into it is not mermaid related." Sirena answered. "So there others out there with powers?" I thought that besides the Hulk and you guys that was it" David said "Well you assumed wrong let's go" Sirena said. With that they left toward Rita's home.


	6. Chapter 6

**The devil is in the details…**

 **Rita's home Australian Gold Coast an hour latter**

Zac and company finally arrive exhausted to the house Rita who arrived 5 minutes earlier for being stuck in traffic was waiting for them "Common time's wasting" she said "This is the last time I'm ever walking on foot while levitating anything" he said gasping. "Or rendering it invisible, we should have rented a truck" Mimi added "That would have been lovely but we don't have that kind of cash!" Evie said.

"Guys can you stop arguing and just bring me into the cove I'm getting itchy and cannot even scratch myself!" Carly said. "I second that the sooner we get her inside the less exposure we risk" Cam said. "Can't argue you with that let's go.!" Zac said as they entered the house and into the cove led by Rita unaware of the intruders watching them. "OK set her down is OK now" Rita said.

Carly was finally back on solid ground and visible again which brought little comfort given her metallic condition. "What happened to me? What kind of a mermaid am I?" she asked Rita intently. "Oh honey you are not a Mermaid but you are special none the less an Inhuman to be exact." Rita answered "And what are this Inhumans?" Carly asked "So there is another group of people besides merpeople and enhanceds like the Hulk, Captain America and that creepy Sekovian chick?" Cam asked.

"Yes there are and it is a long story but for now honey all you need to know is that just like our powers your powers are tied to your emotional state so to return to your normal state all you need is to relax" Rita explained "Relax!" Carly nearly screamed "Yes relax, just breathe and relax" Rita insisted so Carly did as told and soon her body turned back to her normal self

Rita handed Carly a glass "What's this some sort of potion to fix me?" Carly asked. "No just lemonade and there is nothing wrong with you Carly and it cannot be reversed either" Rita said. "But how? Why?" Carly asked more confused and intrigued than ever. "How is because there is a recessive gene in the human population and you have it, why is more complicated because as far as I know it can only be activated by Terrigen mist."

"I'm sorry by what?" Carly said feeling that Rita was giving her more questions than answers "What is this terrigen, where did it came from and how did she even come into contact with whatever it is?" Cam asked.

"That's the mystery but now I know why that strange flesh eating turn to stone disease seemed familiar, the terrigen must have gotten into the ocean's food chain" Rita explained "Hold on a minute Rita are you saying that what's causing the disease is what caused her change?" Zac said in alarm "So anyone that does not have this gene gets the disease instead? That's monstrous!" Mimi said then realized how upset Carly was "I don't mean you…" she added.

Rita sighed "You are right it is monstrous because the gene was introduced by a warring alien species ages ago" Rita explained "Well now aliens as from outer space, this just gets better and better" Carly said "Well if it's any consolation the Merpeople did not originate on this planet either" Rita added that just left the whole group speechless until Mimi broke the stifling silence "So we are actually aliens?" she said. "Well our ancestors were, over time we mingled with surface dwellers to the point that we look a bit different from how our species originally looked" Rita said.

"Why did you never told us this before?" Mimi asked "Because I never though it would be necessary to dig that deep into our past this changes everything though please bring that circular object on that shelf and also get your rings we will need them" Rita said "What is it?" Evie asked as she handed the object to Rita "It's a recording and playback device" Rita explained.

"Really? I don't see any screen or display, how does it show anything?" Cam said "It displays in the form of holograms." Rita answered "For real? Like in the Star Wars films? Do you have an R2 unit in this lair too by any chance? I always wanted one of those!" Cam said which received a heavy sigh from everyone "You are such a geek sometimes!" Carly said.

"Enough bickering put your rings in the device" Rita said. The girls did as instructed and a hologram of another solar system appeared before them "Long ago our ancestors lived in a world that had no land but covered in ocean instead. Then our sun became nova and we had to leave, we found this world and settled here where we also interacted with the primitive native species, we gave them the blessings of mathematics, engineering, science and our civilization flourished for almost a thousand years up until the Kree empire arrived. They laid waste to all our colonies and settlements and began experimenting on the humans to use them as weapons of war this is how inhumans were created. But the inhumans refused to be used as cannon fodder and joined us against the Kree Empire instead" Rita explained as the hologram presented them the related imagery as no HD tv set possibly ever could.

"Can we watch football on this after this is over?" Cam asked which again was received by an annoyed grunt by the rest of the group except Zac who snickered at his friend's suggestion. "Boys!" Mimi sighed "Can I continue or what?" Rita asked when everyone fell silent she continued the presentation. "After years of bloody war, both our species and the inhumans realized that if we were to survive at all we needed for the Kree Empire to believed we were annihilated the decision was made to sink our ancestral city Atlantis beneath the waves forever and make it look like a disaster wiped us all out. The Kree finally convinced of our demise left Earth at last and gave up their experiments." Everyone was perplexed at the physical appearance of Merpeople back then xsporting Vulcan/elf like ears as opposef to the human like ones they sport today. Rita did not have to even wait to answer the question in their minds.

"Yes early on our species looked sort of like elves with those pointy ears, over time as we crossbred with humans our appearance changed" she explained "Are there merpeople with such characteristics still around?" Mimi asked, "Only a handful remain including the sleeping king" Rita said "Wait there is s sleeping king as well?" Cam asked intrigued "Yes Namor the true king of our people, shortly after the war with the Kree he grew disillusioned with how our genetic purity had been compromised with humanity whom he saw as inferior war like beings, he went into stasis only to be awakened if our existence is in peril, back at Atlantis under the constant watch of what remains of the royal guard" Rita finished and so did the projection as the device shut down.

"That was very educational ladies thank you" Ward said as Erik allowed himself and his 2 companions to become visible again Angar screamed and everyone but Eric and Ward fell unconscious and outside the house the sonic pulse killed every nearby bird which dropped dead from the sky as David and Sirena witnessed as they approached the house in his vehicle "What the hell just happened? What's going on?" David asked "Nothing good" Sirena responded.


End file.
